Devices for compressing cigar bunches



Mardl 1964 J. VERMOLEN ETAL DEVICES FOR COMPRESSING CIGAR BUNCHES F'IG.I

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INVENTORS JDSEPHUS VERM OLEN aommues M. VAN as 600R BY M M M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,126,013 DEVICES FOR COMPRESSING CIGAR BUN CHES Josephus Vermolen and Johannes M. van de Goor, Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignors to Kouinklijke Vereenigde Tabaksindustriein Mignot & De Block N.V., Eindhoven, Netherlands, a company of the Netherlands Filed July 25, 1962, Ser. No. 212,417 Claims priority, application Netherlands Aug. 4, 1961 2 Claims. (Cl. 131-87) The invention relates to a device for compressing cigar bunches, comprising a step-wire moving endless conveyer provided with lower molds for the cigar bunches to be pressed, of which device each lower mold is formed by a thin walled trough which is axially slid with a flange forming its rim in grooves of the upstanding walls of a holder attached to said conveyer and is locked against axial movement with respect to said holder by means of a resilient U-shaped stirrup cooperating with said rim-flange and said holder. A compressing device of this kind is known per se.

The invention has for its object to simplify the construction of said known compressing device and to so facilitate the detachment of the lower molds from and their remounting into the holders as to make the use of tools superfluous. The invention is to be seen in that the locking stirrup consists of a U-shaped flat spring accommodated in the space between the holder and the trough, one leg portion of said spring extending from the bottom of the holder to the lower side of the rim flange of the trough and the other leg portion of said spring extending upwards from a point at some distance above the bottom of the holder and engaging a recess of said flange, said latter leg portion being passed between two projections provided on the inner surface of the adjacent upstanding wall of the holder. In this device the U-shape of the locking stirrup is slightly so deformed as to permit the leg portion engaging the recess of the flange of the trough to be forced down and out of said recess with resilience, after which the lower mold can be removed from the holder. The locking stirrup can be easily forced down with the nail of a finger.

The invention will be further elucidated with the aid of the accompanying drawing illustrating by way of example an embodiment of the invention. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a set of conveying chains provided with a holder mounted on said chains and a lower mold for compressing cigar bunches,

FIG. 2 a plan view of the conveying chains, the holder and the lower mold according to FIG. 1 partly in cross section and FIG. 3 partly a cross sectional View and partly an end view of the holder and the lower mold shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and taken from line IIIIII, FIG. 1.

In the drawing conveying chains are designated by 1. Said chains carry a number of holders mounted side by side thereon. Each holder consists of a bottom portion 2 attached to the chains 1 and two upstanding walls 3 which are shorter than the bottom 2. The upstanding walls 3 are each provided, near their upper edge, with an axially directed groove 4. The lower mold for compressing cigar bunches consists of a trough 5 pressed from sheet material and having a rim in the shape of a flange 6. With its flange 6 the trough 5 can be fittingly slid into the grooves 4, whereby the lower mold 5, 6 mounted in the holder 2, 3 is locked against movement together with the upper mold (not shown).

In order to prevent that the lower mold 5, 6 is moved with respect to the holder 2, 3 a rectangular recess 7 is made in the flange 6. The upper end of one leg portion 8 of a U-shaped fiat spring 8, 9, 10 engages said recess. The portion 9 of said spring has a certain slope with respect to the bottom 2 of the holder and the leg portion 10 of the spring extends from said bottom to the lower side of the rim flange 6 of the trough 5. The leg portion 8 is kept in the recess 7 by the resilience of the spring and may be forced down and out of said recess with the nail of a finger. Thereafter the lower mold 5, 6 is free to be removed from the holder. The short leg portion 8 of the flat spring is passed between two projections 11, which are pressed inwards out of the upstanding wall 3. Consequently, the spring 8, 9, 10 can not be moved in the axial direction of the holder and it thus locks the lower mold against axial movement. The leg portion 10 of the spring engages the underside of flange 4 and locks said spring against movement in a direction perpendicular to the bottom 2 of the holder. That is Why the spring may be loosely mounted in the holder which fact simplifies considerably the locking device of the apparatus for compressing cigar bunches. Another advantage is that when lower molds having a flange with parallel straight edges are used, which lower molds are adapted to be removed from the holder both in one and in the other direction, only one single locking stirrup is necessary. Moreover for releasing the lower molds no tools are required. Further, the spring remains in the holder after the withdrawal of the lower mold, so that there are no loose parts which might get lost. Finally it will be impossible to mount the lower mold in the holder in the wrong direction since only one of the edges of the flange of the trough has a recess and the locking stirrup has only one leg portion adapted to be moved in its longitudinal direction and to engage said recess.

What we claim is:

1. In a device for compressing cigar bunches of the type having a step wise moving endless conveyor and holders secured to said conveyor, each carrying a lower mold part against which an upper mold part is periodically pressed for compressing tobacco in said mold parts, the improvements comprising said holders each having a U-shaped cross-sectional profile formed by a bottom wall and a pair of upstanding walls and extending with its longitudinal axis transverse to the conveyor, said lower mold parts each being formed as a thin walled trough having outwardly directed rim flanges near its top and a recess formed in one flange, interengaging means on each trough and the upstanding walls of each holder for removably mounting the trough for slideable movement in a direction longitudinal of the holder, a pair of spaced projections on the inner surface of one upstanding wall of each holder, and a U-shaped spring having upstanding leg portions and an oblique bottom portion connecting said leg portions and seated on the bottom wall of a holder within the space defined by the holder and the trough carried by said holder, one leg portion of said spring extending upwardly toward the lower surface of a flange of the trough and the other leg portion of said spring starting from a point spaced above the bottom wall of said holder and extending upwardly between and engaging said two projections into said flange recess to lock the trough against axial movement with respect to the holder until said last named leg is pressed downwardly through the recess for releasing the trough for longitudinal, sliding removal from the holder.

2. In a device for compressing cigar bunches, the improvements according to claim 1 wherein said interengaging means includes a groove formed on the inner surface of each upstanding wall of the holder and extending parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, said grooves slideably receiving the edges of said outwardly directed trough rim flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kasper May 6, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Netherlands May 15, 1961 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR COMPRESSING CIGAR BUNCHES OF THE TYPE HAVING A STEP WISE MOVING ENDLES CONVEYOR AND HOLDERS SECURED TO SAID CONVEYOR, EACH CARRYING A LOWER MOLD PART AGAINST WHICH AN UPPER MOLD PART IS PERIODICALLY PRESSED FOR COMPRESSING TOBACCO IN SAID MOLD PARTS, THE IMPROVEMENTS COMPRISING SAID HOLDERS EACH HAVING A U-SHAPED CROSS-SECTIONAL PROFILE FORMED BY A BOTTOM WALL AND A PAIR OF UPSTANDING WALLS AND EXTENDING WITH ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS TRANSVERSE TO THE CONVEYOR, SAID LOWER MOLD PARTS EACH BEING FORMED AS A THIN WALLED TROUGH HAVING OUTWARDLY DIRECTED RIM FLANGES NEAR ITS TOP AND A RECESS FORMED IN ONE FLANGE, INTERENGAGING MEANS ON EACH TROUGH AND THE UPSTANDING WALLS OF EACH HOLDER FOR REMOVABLY MOUNTING THE TROUGH FOR SLIDEABLE MOVEMENT IN A DIRECTION LONGITUDINAL OF THE HOLDER, A PAIR OF SPACED PROJECTIONS ON THE INNER SURFACE OF ONE UPSTANDING WALL OF EACH HOLDER, AND A U-SHAPED SPRING HAVING UPSTANDING LEG PORTIONS AND AN OBLIQUE BOTTOM PORTION CONNECTING SAID LEG PORTIONS AND SEATED ON THE BOTTOM WALL OF A HOLDER WITHIN THE SPACE DEFINED BY THE HOLDER AND THE TROUGH CARRIED BY SAID HOLDER, ONE LEG PORTION OF SAID SPRING EXTENDING UPWARDLY TOWARD THE LOWER SURFACE OF A FLANGE OF THE TROUGH AND THE OTHER LEG PORTION OF SAID SPRING STARTING FROM A POINT SPACED ABOVE THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID HOLDER AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY BETWEEN AND ENGAGING SAID TWO PROJECTIONS INTO SAID FLANGE RECESS TO LOCK THE TROUGH AGAINST AXIAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE HOLDER UNTIL SAID LAST NAMED LEG IS PRESSED DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE RECESS FOR RELEASING THE TROUGH FOR LONGITUDINAL, SLIDING REMOVAL FROM THE HOLDER. 